The Voice, founded in 1982, is a British national African-Caribbean newspaper operating in the United Kingdom. The paper is based in London and was published every Thursday until 2019 when it became monthly. It is available in a paper version by subscription and also online.

Representation

Before the introduction of The Voice, the black press in Britain targeted first-generation immigrants. Newspapers, such as The Caribbean Times and West Africa, kept the diaspora up to date about news about the old countries. The Voice was different. It wanted to publish stories which were relevant to the second generation who were born and raised in Britain.

They were eager to create a countertype to the negative portrayals of black people often represented in the mainstream media. This was particularly important after the civil unrest across England in 1981.

David Hesmondhalgh believed companies involved in cultural industries were motivated by profit rather than a duty to public service broadcasting. No one was going to invest in a newspaper which targeted a niche audience unless it was going to make money. However, the social and political context of the early 1980s offered the founder of The Voice, Val McCalla, an opportunity to raise the funds needed for such a risky venture.

Barclays Bank was being heavily criticised for its investments in South Africa where racial segregation was institutionalised in a system known as apartheid. In a bit of impression management, the bank attempted to counteract the negative publicity by showing support for African-Caribbean causes.

postcolonialism – Paul Gilroy

It is worth mentioning Margaret Thatcher’s concern in 1978 that the UK “might be rather swamped by people of a different culture”.⁵ Then, in 1981, the Metropolitan Police began “Operation Swamp”, using stop and search powers to arrest members of the public who had not even committed a crime. Of course, a disproportionate number of people from the African-Caribbean community were taken into custody, prompting accusations that the police were motivated by racism

Stuart Hall – Stereotypes

Audience

In We The Media, Dan Gillmor (2004) explored the changes in the news industry. He argued grassroots journalists were a serious threat to the monopolies enjoyed by big media conglomerates. The “official” news organisations are no longer writing the “first draft of history” because “the audience is learning how to get a better, timelier report”.

This sort of citizen journalism is a good example of Clay Shirky’s concept of mass amateurisation.

The Voice will struggle to be heard by an audience who prefer the quick and easy comment culture of social media rather than long-form journalism.

 Clay Shirky’s concept of mass amateurisation:

New digital technologies and social media has made connecting and collaborating incredibly easy. We want to like, follow, tweet, repost, cross-post, comment, review and subscribe. When we create our own content on our smartphones and share our thoughts with the world, the difference between producer and consumer becomes increasingly difficult to define. It is the end of audience.

The Sims FreePlay is a mobile video game where players create and manage their own virtual characters, known as Sims.

Released in 2011 and still available on iOS and Android devices, this virtual town and story builder is free to play, but users are able to purchase in-game items with real money to speed up progress or unlock additional features. If you have over 1GB of spare memory on your phone, download the game and see why The Sims FreePlay scores 4.5 out of 5 in the App Store and remains in the top ten of the Free Apps Charts.

David Hesmondhalgh argued companies involved in the cultural industries, such as EA, were just like any other business who wanted to minimise risk and maximise profit. The Sims FreePlay follows the freemium business model – a strategy commonly used in the media industry to attract users to try the product or service. The basic version of The Sims Freeplay is available to download for free and there are standard items and hobbies which can be unlocked as you progress through the game.

Although The Sims FreePlay looks like harmless fun compared to the more violent titles available to play, EA made the game unavailable in some countries in 2018 because of “regional standards”. Many users were quick to suggest the ban was implemented because of the possibility of establishing same-sex relationships in the virtual world. If you want to play the game in places such as China, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, you need to use a VPN and change your location.

 Tztevan Todorov (Tripartite narrative structure):

A really good way to think about NARRATIVE STRUCTURE is to recognise that most stories can be easily broken down into a BEGINNING / MIDDLE / END.

• Equilibrium
• Disruption
• New equilibrium

Vladimir Propp is a good starting point for thinking about narrative structures, as his work (based around an analysis of fairy tales) suggests that stories use STOCK CHARACTERS to structure stories.

1. Hero
2. Helper
3. Princess
4. Villain
5. Victim
6. Dispatcher
7. Father
8. False Hero

binary opposites.

Roland Barthes: Proairetic and Hermenuetic Codes

• Proairetic code: action, movement, causation
• Hermenuetic code: reflection, dialogue, character or thematic development
• Enigma code: the way in which intrigue and ideas are raised – which encourage an audience to want more information.

Peripeteia – a sudden reversal of fortune or change in circumstances, especially in reference to fictional narrative

Anagnoresis – the point in a play, novel, etc., in which a principal character recognizes or discovers another character’s true identity or the true nature of their own circumstances.

Catharsis – the process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from, strong or repressed emotions.

What is postmodernism?

Postmodernism can be seen as reimagining and copying things off others. In regards to art its the modern version of the earlier version but still copied from previous work.

1. Pastiche – the work of art, drama, literature, music or architecture that imitates the work of the artist.
2. Parody – is work or a performance that imitates another work or performance with ridicule or irony.
3. Bricolage  – ‘involves the rearrangement and juxtaposition of previously unconnected signs to produce new codes of meaning’
4. Intertextuality
5. Referential
6. Surface and style over substance and content
7. Metanarrative
8. Hyperreality – nothings really real or new as we always copy off something from earlier years.
9. Simulation (sometimes termed by Baudrillard as ‘Simulacrum’) – imitation of a situation or process an image or representation of someone or something.
10. Consumerist Society – a society in which people often buy new goods, especially goods that they do not need, and in which a high value is placed on owning many things
11. Fragmentary Identities –
12. Alienation
13. Implosion
14. cultural appropriation
15. Reflexivity

Richard Hoggart (Uses of Literacy) noted the shift in modern societies particularly the impact on our ‘neighbourhood lives’, which was ‘an extremely local life, in which everything is remarkably near’

created a high polarized class division between the rich / the really super rich and the poor / underclass (ie the really, really poor) made possible through the rapid increase of new forms of technological developments.

consumption by its very nature bolsters a self-centred individualism which is the basis for stable and secure identities. Strinati (238)

Putting it very simply, the transition from substance to style is linked to a transition from production to consumption. STRINATI (235)

 ‘In a postmodern world, surfaces and style become the most important defining features of the mass media and popular culture’ Strinati (234).

STYLE OVER SUBSTANCE. could be applied to both ghost town and letter to the free.

The loss of a metanarrative – ‘overarching story’ those overarching ideas, attitudes, values and beliefs that have held us together in a shared belief, For example, the belief in religion, science, capitalism, communism, revolution, war, peace and so on

• The episode is famous for inciting a panic by convincing some members of the listening audience that a Martian invasion was taking place, though the scale of panic is disputed, as the program had relatively few listeners.
• “The War of the Worlds” was the 17th episode of the CBS Radio series The Mercury Theatre on the Air, which was broadcast at 8 pm ET on October 30, 1938
• The program’s format is a simulated live newscast of developing events. The first two-thirds of the hour-long play is a contemporary retelling of events of the novel, presented as news bulletins interrupting programs of dance music.
• “I had conceived the idea of doing a radio broadcast in such a manner that a crisis would actually seem to be happening,” said Welles, “and would be broadcast in such a dramatized form as to appear to be a real event taking place at that time, rather than a mere radio play.
• The radio program begins as a simulation of a normal evening radio broadcast featuring a weather report and music by “Ramon Raquello and His Orchestra” live from a local hotel ballroom.
• 30:47 radio silence (BAD)
• After the conclusion of the play, Welles reassumed his role as host and told listeners that the broadcast was intended to be merely a “holiday offering”, the equivalent of the Mercury Theater “dressing up in a sheet, jumping out of a bush and saying, ‘Boo!'”
• The rapid expansion of radio in the 1930s into the homes of millions of Americans was a huge threat to the once dominant position of newspapers
• we need to consider the historical and social context behind the broadcast. In terms of Stuart Hall’s reception theory and his encoding / decoding model of communication, this is the audience’s framework of knowledge.

• well acted
• well written
• appealing scenery
• good build up to the major events
• interesting plot
• more than one genre, drama, comedy romance – Steve Neale
• showcases the social and cultural contexts – Stuart Hall

broadcasting- communicating with a large number of people

narrowcasting- for a niche target audience

what is the ethos of the BBC?

“To inform entertain and educate” which was developed lord Reith

BBC charter

what is the distinction between populism and paternalism?

Populism what the audience want to watch and consume

Paternalism is action that limits a person’s or group’s liberty or autonomy and is intended to promote their own good.

The argument of opening up ‘new worlds’ to everyday (= common? poor? working class? uneducated???) people could be applied to new media platforms – so what is the difference?

could it be argued that the BBC are saying that by broadcasting to the working class can be bragging that they re smarter than who they were now broadcasting to

Grace Wyndham-Goldie changing nature of modern communication, essentially by transforming time and space. her editor told her not to go to see this and that television would not be important in her lifetime, but she disagreed and believed that it was important, you can see and hear people in another space. this links to Habermas and the transformation of the public sphere.

there was a fear of new technology

the BBC was acting like a social cement as it connected us all together

Habermas and the transformation of the public sphere-

• allows people to connect to other places around the world and hear and see things which are happening outside of where you are from where you are – transforming time and space
• allows for people who have never experienced certain events be included and allow for more discussion from different groups of people such as the working class

Seaton-

• “Broadcasting in Britain – monopoly or duopoly- always depended on assumption of commitment to an undivided good” p342
• “Reaching all parts of the country regardless of cost, seeking to educate inform and improve” p343
• “The goal that the British broadcasting should move towards a sophisticated market system based on consumer sovereignty” p343
• ” The questions which the public asked about broadcasting… were becoming ‘more critical, more hostile and more political” p346
• “Broadcasters have come to see the state as their enemy” p353
• “Thus, without a commitment to public service, broadcasters are increasingly vulnerable to detailed political interference in the content of programmes” p353

Danielle Dwyer, editor of BBC Radio One’s Newsbeat.

• it is a traditional radio show when it comes to timing and the layout of the show,
• however, it seems to have a more progressive and audience as some of the stories they cover such as mental health are targeted at a particular audience.
• for example, a younger audience (used to try encouraging them to listen to news)
• you can also access it after it has aired
•  around 3.3 million listeners
• More 15 to 24-year-olds (34% of them) get their news from Newsbeat than from any other BBC TV or radio outlet
• Newsbeat delivers its reports and stories with a very distinct style. The producers hope to appeal to their listeners by framing the content through an informal tone, quick overviews, upbeat links, and audience participation.
• there is opportunity for audience interaction

“the words and pictures weren’t always trying to sell stuff, didn’t portray perfection, didn’t tell people what to do and made them feel better, not worse.”

first published in 2010 with only 6 issues a year.

the averages age of 27 · 98% female readers ABC1 demographic

 ABC1 – a consumer from one of the three higher social and economic groups, which consist of people who have more education and better-paid jobs than those in other groups:

Challenging social and cultural contexts:

• the woman throughout the magazine are presented in a radicle way it can be argued because they aren’t being sexualised as a way to sell the magazine (Mulvey)
• they are dressed in casual clothing and natural make up
• representation of plus size women with the article from Megan Jane Crabbe
• tires to push the idea that women can work in tech and be CEOs of companies in a patriarchal society.
• takes a radicle stance

Stuart Hall applied: article from Megan Jane Crabbe

dominant readings – agree with what she is saying and understand the importance of her message

negotiated readings – they may understand her message about body image but may have differing views on her argument and may disagree

oppositional readings – may completely disagree with what she is saying and not understand her message and why it is important.

– dominant signifier – vin diesel famous actor, appeal to men

– male representation– talks about men and has different men throughout

– reactionary representation – heterosexual man and what is expected in society

– colour of text is in traditional boy colours

–radicle as it is talking about men’s mental health

laswells modle appilied:

sender – hearst communication mens magazine

says what – a brand for active, successful professional men who want greater control over their physical, mental and emotional wellbeing

What Channel – print through lifestyle magazine and online on their website and social media sites.

to whom – active, successful professional men who want greater control over their physical, mental and emotional wellbeing, ‘educated men with families’ as the media kit states

with what effect- sell them to your audience

Lazarsfelds link to men’s health:

this links to his theory as with the front page of the magazine, there is an opinion leader on the front, Vin Diesel, who people will agree with as they actively choose to follow and listen to people who have the same ideas and morels of them and so people who agree with what he is presenting in the magazine are more likely to read the magazine.

Uses and gratifications applied to mens health:

looks at how especially online the pages that the consumers spend the most time on will be what they want, and they will profit of this as they will continue to show you similar ads to sell more of the products.

on the consumer profile, they have an audience of successful professional men who want greater control over their physical, mental and emotional wellbeing so they will play off this and show ads which are related to the kind of things they have an interest in and will more likely spend money on products as they are tailored to what they have an interest in.

Stuart Hall Applied:

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dominant readings –

negotiated readings – both sides of the argument can be taken into account as they may want to lose weight and use a detox however not all those who want to lose weight through that way so they may disagree with the message.

oppositional readings- not everyone who purchases the magazine will want to do a detox to lose weight and so there could be a more cynical meaning behind it

command words

describe – remembering specific elements

compare – talking about the similarities and differences between two things

evaluate – to judge and share own opinions/ real evidence

analyse – in depth look at an idea with accurate explanation

knowledge – vague outline of an idea or concept / can touch on it

understanding – to explain clearly and deeply about an idea or concept / can evaluate it

	what do you know about	what meaning or understanding do you have of their ideas? how can you apply those ideas to your CSP’s?
Noam Chomsky	the 5 filters of media: – ownership -advertising -official source -flack -marginalizing dissent	ownership- advertising- Maybelline and score. and how they are structured to sell the project. official source- making sure what you are reading or referencing is true (newspapers) the I and they daily mail.
James Curran	patterns of ownership media distribution social and political change	he talks about ownership and how different companies will have different
Habermas	linked to Curran public sphere	talks about how media is passively consumed
semiotics	The study of signs and symbols Roland Barthes CS Pierce Ferdinand De Saussure   Textual analysis is needed radical– something you wouldn’t expect / out of the ordinary reactionary-what you would expect/ follows stereotypes	Sign– something which can stand for something else Code– technical, written and symbolic tools which used to construct or suggest meaning in media forms. Convention– accepted ways of using media codes Dominant Signifier– the main representative. Anchorage-words with an image to provide context   Roland Barthes Talks about how culture and communication maintain  things such as myths and ideology   CS Pierce How signs and symbols can have different meanings Icon-physically resembles thing or idea Index-A sign that has a link to its object Symbol-Symbol, a sign that has an arbitrary or random link to its object   Ferdinand De Saussure talks about
David Gauntlet	representation fluidity of identity	4 types of identity collective identity- that is what is expected as a man constructive identity – changing their identity when they are influenced by the magazine negotiated identity- when reading or influenced fluid identity-
Lasswell	hypodermic needle model	who developed the theoretical tool of ‘content analysis’ and in 1927 wrote Propaganda Technique in the World War which highlighted the brew of ‘subtle poison, which industrious men injected into the veins of a staggering people until the smashing powers . . . knocked them into submission’ To illustrate his hypothesis, in 1948 he developed a linear model of communication one that breaks down the line of communication from point A to point B, in which the SENDER is transferring a MESSAGE, through a MEDIUM (eg Print, radio, TV, etc) that has a direct effect on the RECEIVER.  This approach was later adapted by Shannon and Weaver in 1949, as the Transmission model of Communication, NOISE, ERROR, ENCODING and FEEDBACK.
Lazarfeld	two-step flow theory Personal Influence (1955). The book explains that people’s reactions to media messages are mediated by interpersonal communication with members of their social environment.	suggests that opinion leaders pay close attention to the mass media and pass on their interpretation of media messages to others The Two Step Flow Theory maintains that audiences are active participants in the communication process
Uses and Gratifications	The Uses and Gratifications Theory is a Mass Communication theory that focuses on the needs, motives and gratifications of media users. The theory states that media consumers are passive consumers of mass communications; rather, they play an active role in media consumption	Some people might watch news for information, some for entertainment, and some for self-reassurance media companies profit off what the audience enjoys, capitalism doesn’t care about race or gender only in making money and to do that they tailor their products to appeal to their audience, so they keep consuming it.
Stuart Hall		media consumers were alert and critical readers, listeners and viewers encoding and decoding hegemony- the set of ideas that dominate within society these ideas are usually formed by those groups who have power.